On 30th May 2025, our centre launched this year’s Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) project with the theme “Sharing is Caring.”
Due to the HFMD outbreak, parents and our guest speaker, Ms. Fathin, could not attend physically. Instead, they joined us virtually to witness the launch and share their encouragement. Children and families also enjoyed a flashback of our SSDB journey in 2023 and 2024 before being introduced to this year’s theme.
The 2025 focus on social-emotional development aligns with our action plan to help children express their feelings, show empathy, and care for others through collaborative projects and meaningful family involvement.
Our project goals are to:
• Support children in developing a sense of self and expressing their feelings.
• Guide and facilitate their social-emotional growth.
• Involve families meaningfully in our events and activities.
We continue our valued partnership with Food From The Heart (FFTH) for the third year and welcomed CCK Sports Stadium Maintenance Staff as our new partner. A highlight was when the children proudly recited the SSDB Pledge—written by their teacher—together as a class, followed by a fun quiz and group photos to mark the meaningful launch of SSDB 2025: Sharing is Caring.
Our SSDB Pledge
(Written by our teacher, recited by the children)
“I promise to care and always share,
With friends, with family, and everywhere.
I’ll use my hands to help and give,
With kindness in the way I live.
I’ll use my voice to speak what’s right,
To cheer, to thank, and to shine bright.
Though I am small, I’ll play my part,
With sharing and caring from the heart.
I will Start Small and Dream Big.”
Healthy Food, Healthy Me!
Our K1 and K2 children enjoyed an engaging activity on healthy eating. They were introduced to our puppet friend, Healthy Hero, who shared how eating the right food helps us grow strong, run fast, and think clearly.
The children had the opportunity to explore food flashcards and sort them into “healthy” and “not-so-healthy” groups. Using the food plate chart, they learned about the different food groups in simple terms. They were then given the autonomy to design their own Healthy Plate through drawing, choosing foods that they felt would help their bodies grow. Many were eager to share their drawings with their friends, proudly explaining their choices.
Through this activity, children experienced play elements such as role play with the puppet, sorting games, and creative drawing. These playful experiences kept them engaged and made the learning fun and meaningful.
We also observed how the activity supported the children’s social-emotional development. They gained confidence in expressing their thoughts, listened respectfully to their peers, and developed empathy as they reflected on how not everyone gets to enjoy healthy food every day. This encouraged them to think about caring for both themselves and others.
We ended the session with a cheerful rhyme:
“I care for me, I care for you, let’s eat healthy, strong and true!”
The children left excited to share one healthy food idea with their families!
Every Bite Counts
Our K1 and K2 children took part in an activity that helped them understand why we should not waste food and to appreciate the meals lovingly prepared for them. They began by looking at pictures of food wastage and food sharing, which encouraged them to think and talk about how people might feel in each situation. A story on kindness and sharing further deepened their reflections.
The children then had the chance to role-play using food tokens, preparing a plate of food for a friend who had none. This gave them autonomy to make thoughtful choices while experiencing the joy of giving through play. Using emotion cards, they explored how it feels to go without food and how happy it feels when someone shares.
To extend their learning, each child dropped a note or drawing into the Gratitude Jar to thank someone who cooks or shares food with them. This strengthened their social-emotional development as they practiced empathy, appreciation, and care for others.
The session also included play elements such as storytelling, role play, and hands-on materials, which made the experience meaningful and engaging.
We ended with a shared rhyme:
“Every bite we eat is special,
Every meal we share is kind.
When we don’t waste food,
We help others shine!”
Children left with the understanding that by valuing food and donating when possible, they can help others too.
Food Donation Drive – Caring and Sharing Hearts
Our children took part in a meaningful Food Donation Drive in support of “Food From The Heart”, guided by their wish food list. The children showed autonomy as they selected and placed food items into the collection boxes, taking pride in contributing their choices to help others.
This experience supported their social and emotional development by nurturing empathy and gratitude. As they discussed how the donations would reach families in need, the children gained social awareness, understanding that not everyone has enough food and that their small actions can make a big difference.
We sincerely thank our parents for their overwhelming support in this drive. Your generosity not only filled the boxes but also filled little hearts with the joy of giving. Together, we have shown the children how caring and sharing can bring smiles to others.
A Big Thank You to FFTH!
Our K1 children came together to create a beautiful Thank You Card for “Food From The Heart” (FFTH) to show their gratitude for organising the food donation drive. Each child had the chance to add a personal touch – through drawings, colouring, stickers, or signing their names.
This activity gave the children the opportunity to work collaboratively, express appreciation, and show their creativity while building fine motor skills. Most importantly, it nurtured a strong sense of community spirit, helping them understand the value of saying “thank you” to those who help others.
The children were very proud of their group effort and ended the session with a cheerful chant, sending love and smiles to FFTH.
Thank-You Chant:
“Thank you, FFTH, for your kind heart,
You helped us all to do our part!
We send our smiles and love to you,
For all the kind things that you do!”
Sorting with Heart – Preparing to Share!
Our K2 children worked together to sort and classify the donated food items into different categories such as rice, canned food, and biscuits. Using magnifying glasses, they also learned how to check expiry dates to make sure the food was safe to share.
This activity encouraged teamwork, responsibility, and care while reinforcing the value of giving thoughtfully. The children felt proud knowing their efforts would help families in need.
They ended with a cheerful chant:
“Sort, check, count and share,
Pack with love and show we care!
Helping hands, young and bright,
Let’s give with hearts that shine so light!”
FFTH Warehouse Visit for K2 children
For the very first time, instead of having “Food From The Heart” collect donations from our centre, our children had the special opportunity to visit the FFTH warehouse. Due to capacity limits, only three K2 children could join, making this experience all the more meaningful.
The visit was truly enriching — the children proudly helped unload and hand over the food boxes, interacted with FFTH representatives, and toured the warehouse to see where the donations are stored and organised.
This experience supported their social-emotional development, as they gained confidence in meeting new people, learned the importance of teamwork, and developed social awareness about how their small actions contribute to a bigger cause.
Later, the three children eagerly shared their experiences with their peers, helping everyone understand how their food donations make a difference. The children left feeling proud, responsible, and inspired to continue giving from the heart.
Thank You, CCK Stadium Helpers!
Our K1 and K2 children came together to create heartfelt Thank You Cards for the CCK Stadium helpers. Each child contributed through drawings, stickers, colouring, or writing their names, showing their appreciation for the staff who keep the stadium clean and safe.
This activity encouraged teamwork, creativity, and gratitude, while supporting the children’s social-emotional development as they recognised the important role of community helpers.
To make the experience more meaningful, we took one K2 and two K1 children to personally deliver the cards to the CCK Stadium helpers. The children shared that they felt really happy giving the cards in person. Although a simple gesture, it meant a lot to them—they were excited to show their appreciation and say “thank you” directly to the helpers.
The session ended with a cheerful group chant:
“Thank you helpers, strong and kind,
You keep the stadium clean and fine!
We play, we run, we laugh with cheer,
Because of you, we love it here!”
Here are some pictures, capturing the children’s joy and pride in expressing their gratitude.
Our SSDB Journey – Let’s Reflect!
To conclude our SSDB 2025 project, K1 and K2 children reflected on their learning journey. Looking back at photos of their experiences — from food donation and sorting, to card making and the stadium visit — each child drew and shared their favourite memory.
This activity gave children a chance to express themselves, recall meaningful experiences, and develop a deeper sense of caring and giving. The children were excited to bring their drawings and messages home to share with their families, telling them what they had done and how it felt to help others.
Many children shared that they felt happy and proud seeing how their contributions could make a difference. They also talked about the joy of saying “thank you” and giving with care, showing a growing awareness of kindness and empathy.
The session ended with a lively group chant:
“We learned to give, we learned to share,
Helping others shows we care!
SSDB was fun to do,
Together we made our dreams come true!”
